(An Evening of) Prayer for Easter

(An Evening of) Prayer for Easter

Hello Church Family,

Every year at this time I start thinking about how to best attract people to our church on Easter Sunday. While we don’t embrace an “attractional” model of ministry, per se, we do want to take advantage of days and seasons when unchurched folks are willing to venture into the doors of a worship auditorium. Perhaps a better way to say it is: we want to think strategically about inviting people to hear the gospel on a day when many who wouldn’t normally attend will.

Churches employ a variety of approaches to accomplishing the aforementioned goal: some promise live animals, free candy, and mystery prizes. Others organize elaborate post-service egg hunts. I’ve even heard of churches that give out envelopes of cash, in secret denominations, to those first-time guests at their Easter services.

Well, I believe God is calling us to a decidedly different tactic. We’re still going to be creative. We’re still going to affix door-hangers to many of the homes surrounding Northpoint. And we’re still going to urge people to be intentional about inviting friends and family. But this year we’re going to do a better job of entreating God to do the sort of work that only He can do.

In other words, we’re going to pray. Boldly. Purposefully. Desperately.

On Thursday, March 26, at 7:00 p.m., we’re going to gather in Heritage Hall and collectively ask God to bring people into this building on Easter Sunday, and even more importantly, we’re going to plead with Him to bring people to saving faith in His Beloved Son.

I’d love to have a couple hundred people (or more) carve out one hour to pray for the lost in this community. Sixty minutes. I’ll make sure the event is well organized and starts (and ends) on time. I’m simply asking you to give one hour to joining us in calling out to God on behalf of this community.

As James reminds in his God-breathed letter that we’ve been studying as a church: “The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working” (James 5:16). Let’s ask God to do a revival in Corona and Norco. Let’s ask God to give life to the spiritually dead. Hope to the hopeless. Freedom to those imprisoned by sin. And let’s expect God to “do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine” (Ephesians 3:20).

For the Kingdom,

Pastor John